John Edwards’s Youth Guru: John Mayer

Rocker-adviser reveals what’s the matter with kids today.

Meet John Edwards’s new adviser: Soho resident John Mayer, the guitar-slinging troubadour better known for winning the hearts of lite-FM D.J.’s, soccer moms, and current flame Jessica Simpson than young voters. At last week’s Time 100 gala, Edwards said that Mayer, who was selected along with Elizabeth Edwards by the newsweekly as one of the most influential people in the world, offered the former senator his tips for connecting with the kids. “He was talking about the language of young people, his generation,” Edwards said. “He basically said, ‘You’ve got to get me in the first twenty seconds. I watch movies on YouTube, and if they’re 25 seconds long, they’re five seconds too long.’ ” Edwards said that he set up a meeting with Mayer to hear more from the singer. Mayer’s acoustic set during the dinner should prove that he knows something about pairings; he sagely noted, “There’s a whole different approach to playing music for those who are eating. If it’s a red wine, I usually go with something ballad-y.”